The Parti Keadilan Rakyat supreme council member also criticised his own party for its failure to provide autonomy to Sabah, which he stressed have been preached all the while.
“What autonomy when they failed to recognise the decisions made by several divisions on their preferred candidates,” said Ansari who was not in the PKR list of candidates this time around.
Ansari also branded his rival, former Tuaran MP Datuk Wilfred Bumburing as a liar.
“Wilfred is a liar. When he announced his support to PKR, he said ‘I am here not to become candidate. I am here to help PKR. I am not interested to be a candidate’ … he said that in the past.
“And I have all the newspaper-cuttings to support this. But today, you can count how many candidates they have, meaning he is a liar.
It is no secret that the moment Bumburing came on board PKR with his APS, there was not going to be any place for Ansari.
The wily politician-cum-lawyer who had always contested the Sulaman state seat than tried horse-trading; telling PKR headquarters to give Wilfred either Tuaran or Tamparuli, but not both.
Ansari was hoping that he would get Tamparuli at the very least.
He got neither as Wilfred will be contesting both seats. He first won the Tamparuli seat in 1985 on a PBS ticket when PBS toppled Berjaya.
“I do not see anything he did as helping PKR, may be he helped to kick us out,” said Ansari. “We look at it in two ways, it is either he is lying or probably someone had forced him to be a candidate, thus making that person a liar.
At a hastily called Press conference Thursday, Ansari said most PKR division chiefs are hurt.
“They are questioning how can a NGO who is not registered as a political party are involved in politics. It is against the law. It is also intriguing that the government is aware of this but they are not taking any action … or is this also part of their plan?” asked Ansari.
The Tuaran PKR division chief said for the non-PKR members to contest under the Party’s symbol, it is not insulting but rather a sign of betrayal.
“You have betrayed the PKR members for giving the Party’s symbol to somebody who is not a member.
And I blame the person who signed the symbol and the person who advised the signing. If I am the president of the party, I will not give the symbol to a non-member.
“The seven proposed candidates’ names which was announced recently is not my list. It is not Ansari’s line-up.
“It was the decision made by the respective divisions in the West Coast North areas. We were promised of the autonomy to make decision as stipulated in the Buku Jinggaand Kuching Declaration.
It was learnt that the meeting was called following dissatisfaction by several division leaders and members over the newly unveiled PKR candidates’ list by Sabah PKR chief Ahmad Thamrin Jaini in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, two days ago.
Ansari had announced their proposed list which included himself for the Tuaran constituency and surgeon-activist-author Dr Chong Eng Leong for Sepanggar, Mazhry Nasir (Putatan), Anthony Mandiau (Kota Marudu), Mursalim Tanjul (Kudat), Saidil Semoi (Kota Belud) and Jonathan Yassin (Ranau). Only Anthony and Jonathan made it to the fray.
Describing it as “not a total rejection”, Ansari was slightly happy that at least quite a number of PKR leaders are fielded in the coming GE13.
Ansari, while not disclosing his next move, however stressed that he will not be a candidate this time around.
On a question whether he would be supporting the candidate for Tuaran (Wilfred), his response: “I am a PKR member, a PKR divisional head and a Supreme Council Member. I will assist PKR members who are contesting, wherever they are.
“I am a lawyer, that is my problem, I am a member of this party and I have the legal and moral responsibility to help PKR members fielded in the coming election,” he added.
By Jessieanne Joannes
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